The Outsiders @ The Windmill

A few months ago, Stu Young from The Outsiders asked me if I could organise them a gig in London for them. I put the feelers out around a bunch of promoters, and had a decent response. Because cash for them was a priority, I went for the venue which did the best deal: The Windmill (They’re one of the few venues in London which will let bands take the full amount on the door…).

So yeah they were joined by the Fulang, and a new band called “Spike The Punch,” which I understand features some of the members from NZ punk band Missing Teeth. The Fulang were comfortably the band that stuck out like a sore thumb, and some of the filthy old punks didn’t seem that impressed with our sound. Nevertheless a big bunch of our friends all came out to support The Outsiders, which was really awesome. They took a big risk coming over to Europe to tour, and I think it worked out pretty well for them. They played really well, and it was awesome seeing Stu and Niam again.

The Outsiders

In other (now old) fulang news, Anthony had to go home about a month ago, due to some pretty stink family reasons. Matt Brook did the decent thing and played bass for us at the show, after only two practices! He played really well, and I was well proud of him.

Matt stepping up to the plate

This guy taught me at university.

Okay so Dr. Ian Chapman lectured me during my time at music school at the University of Otago.

Here's his new music video. Holy! What's up with Dunedin having glam scene all of a sudden?

And here's my newest favourite video courtesy of the world wide web. This guy didn't lecture thank god.

Gigs, gigs, gigs

Okay so it's been awhile since I last blogged. Apologies.

Anyway the fulang have played a bunch of gigs in that time, some brilliant (Rip This Joint All-Dayer), some shit (Up All Night Music shows), some in-between.

I can't really be bothered talking about the shit nights we've played this time around, apart from explaining that our gig at Tommy Flynn's was a soul-less, non-cohesive, rip-off of a gig. It was run by Up All Night Music, a booking/"promo" company. Basically they just get a bunch of random bands together which sound nothing alike, are usually shit, and make them play at the same night. The bands get ripped off, and in turn, so do the audience. Doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway, onto a more positive note. We got the awesome opportunity to play at an all-dayer run by the Rip This Joint promoters. Rip This Joint are a collective of a few bands who put on nights at the Constitution in Camden. We played one of their nights a few months ago, and have been in touch with them ever since. They basically do the opposite of Up All Night et. all, which is put on great shows, with well thought out line-ups, with good bands, and not leave the audience or the bands feeling ripped off.

The all-dayer was at The Krankenhouse, a massive squat in Crouch End. The first half of the gig was outside, and the second half was moved inside. Mad props to Julie R. Kane (flickr.com/fstopqueen) for letting me post her photos.

The fulang opened the festival. We were hungover as fuck beforehand, and felt ace after playing. I love music.

One Man Team Dance played in-between the bands in various locations around the squat. BTW this shitty photo is from me.

Silent Front. These guys have been playing in London for years and seriously rule.

November Fleet. I hadn't heard these guys before but they were really bloody good.

Cherry But No Cake. These guys are the nicest guys in the "music industry" I've met in London. They also play in a pretty classic band.

SCUL HAZZARDs. These guys are probably my favourite grassroots band. They're from Australia, and sound like the Pixies crossed with Future Of The Left or something.

Another review

Fulangchangandi got another favorable review today. Freakin' brilliant.

Check it.

Nothingatall dot net

Interviews and Reviews

The fulang EP has been reviewed a couple of times online recently which is pretty cool.

Tasty Fanzine

Nostalgia For Infinity

About a month ago as well this chick Gabi interviewed me. She runs a radio show called "Toast On Fire" on FSK, an independent radio station in Hamburg. She'd come across our music on MySpace, and wanted to interview us. Pretty cool huh?

New career oppurtinity... Session guitarist!

This is a little video of me playing in The Thorns. The band was part of an extra-curricular music project we did with neighboring primary schools in the area at my work. The kids all came together, did a bunch of workshops on songwriting and contemporary performance, culminating in writing and performing their own song. It's pretty cute.

If anyone who is related to these kids sees this video and has a problem, please get in touch with me on stu dot harwood at g mail dot com, and I'll take it down ASAP.

How to release an EP in 2009

When releasing an EP, you need to get quite a few things in place, namely: A recording, a music medium, packaging, artwork, a press pack, distribution, and a release party. What follows is a description of how we went about releasing fulangchangandi’s debut EP to “the masses.”

The recording: I’ve already covered this one in the below blog, but the long and short of it was we got our friends to do it for free/cheap.

Music medium: After weighing up the options in front of us (CD, Super Audio CD, vinyl, usb sticks, wax cylinders, cassette tapes, laser disc), Fulangchangandi opted for the CD-R medium. We were so cheap we didn’t even bother getting printable ones. Yep, it was a pack of dirty old CD-Rs from a supermarket. I made Stu G write on them with a marker pen.

Packaging: While drunk one night, we were talking about how shit the jewel case is (the normal CD case you find everywhere). So we came up with the fulang-sandwich, or alternatively, the fulangchangand-rye. Utilizing two pieces of supermarket loaf, a clear plastic CD slip, and some clingfilm, it is a pioneer in packaging technology.

Photos by Otman Gusbi

Artwork:

Great minds at work: Creating our branded sandwiches. Photos by Jenna Todd.

Press Pack: Well you need a photo, and a little blurb.

fulangchangandi

“A wave of emotion swept over a crowd gathered at Eisenhower Auditorium last night. At one moment, members of the crowd could be seen shouting in laughter. Minutes later, tears were pouring out of their eyes. The event that moved the crowd to such animation was a speech made by fulangchangandi, the founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of the Ridiculous. Fulang attracted an audience which filled three-fourths of the floor seating in the auditorium. His speech was titled "Is Jesus a Tory or a Socialist?" and Fulang, who is also a Professor of Ridiculousness at Some College, St. David's, Liverpool, said the answer to the question his speech and book title pose is, "Jesus is neither a Tory nor a Socialist - I'm not even sure he would vote in this election."”

fulangchangandi

50% Northern England/50% Southern Hemisphere.

The press photo. Design by Stuart Gardham

Distribution: Ah, um, ahhhh, you can download it at www.last.fm, Or download higher quality mp3s at mediafire.com, Or if you come to a show you might get lucky and get a fulangchangand-rye in the face.

Release party: Now this is one thing we kind of did right. Well, not really… We got to play at really awesome noise rock night, and we threw a few sandwiches around. But anyway we played at a “Rip This Joint” night, at this fantastic venue in Camden called The Constitution. The pub is a pretty normal local bar, with a fantastic outside area right by the canal. Downstairs is a really small little room with a bar that is sometimes used as a venue. This is probably my favourite place to play in London so far, and is definitely the best venue I’ve watched bands at. It’s just so full of energy! The crowd it often literally face to face with the bands the venue is so small! It also helps that the guys who run the “Rip This Joint” book really wicked touring bands.

I think Otman took this one

Scul Hazzards. This was actually at a different night, but shows how close the audience is to the bands.